Senior Associate, Corporate - M&A

The role

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Corporate Solicitor to join our M&A team as a Senior Associate.

The M&A team is a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers, who provide legal advice on corporate transactions and for clients across a range of sectors. Our work includes:

• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Private Equity
• Investment and Joint Ventures
• Corporate Real Estate
• Corporate Governance

You will work closely with lawyers in the Team and throughout the Firm on transactional and advisory work, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, shareholder arrangements and investments, reconstructions and re organisations and general corporate and company law advice.

This role will suit candidates wanting to work as part of collegiate and supportive team whilst gaining exposure to varied and interesting work.

Role responsibility

You will lead or take the senior supporting role wide range of work including;

• Share acquisitions and disposals
• Business acquisitions and disposals
• Joint ventures/ Shareholder arrangements (including contractual profit share and AMAs and DMAs)
• Investments
• Reconstructions and re-organisations
• LLP and partnership agreements and;
• General Corporate and Company law advice (including directors' duties and corporate governance).

You may also get involved in some AIM work including IPOs and fund raising.

You will be likely be working with entrepreneurial and growth businesses; restaurants and retail clients; acquisitive businesses and private equity; high net worth families; and overseas investors. You are also likely to get involved in advising international clients and clients referred by our international networks on their international deals; acquisitions of UK assets and inward investment.

You will take a lead role in taking client instructions and work closely with Trainees and Paralegals on various projects, liaising with and coordinating advice from other departments on projects and transactions, especially IP/ commercial, real estate, employment, tax, private client, and banking. This will extend to working with the team on the drafting and negotiation of core transactional documents, including business and share sale agreements, disclosure letters and due diligence reports, joint ventures and shareholders' agreements, and all ancillary documentation.

The M&A team also takes an advisory role (non-transactional) to other departments within the Firm including private client, dispute resolution and family. This work is often very varied and provides an opportunity to learn and gain experience in more unusual areas of company law.

Senior Associates within the M&A team are given a high level of responsibility and you are likely to be liaising with senior stakeholders and have extensive client interaction and exposure to senior management, including at the CEO and CFO level.

The M&A team has a very open and collegiate team structure and you will be expected to be involved in business development initiatives and also to assist in training and development (with guidance from our corporate PSL).

About you

Ideally you will demonstrate;

• Significant post qualification experience in Private M&A and general Corporate work in the UK, with some experience of Corporate Real Estate transactions (involving valuable UK Real Estate).
• Significant experience running and taking the lead in transactions.
• Significant experience of advising on matters of English Company Law (advisory and transactional).
• Experience in assessing risk matters arising on transactions and client matters (including AML and Conflicts).
• Experience in assessing 'flag' issues for a client on transactions – i.e where expertise advice should be sought on matters such as NSIA, Tax, Employment, IP etc.
• A high level of motivation and willing to assist at all levels of a transaction. 
• Provide considered feedback to junior colleagues.
• Willingness to share ideas with colleagues and gather input and perspective on challenging issues.
• Excellent organisation skills, with the ability to work across numerous matters.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work well within a team.
• Comfort in taking ownership and responsibility, as well as demonstrating proactivity in supporting the team and clients.
• Confidence in establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with colleagues and clients at all levels.
• Excellent attention to detail with the ability to perform in a deadline-orientated role and;
• A passion for, and positive attitude towards your work and professional development.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 25 days annual holiday
• Permanent Health Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Interest free Season Ticket Loan
• Private Healthcare
• Pension Scheme
• Staff Introductory Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme

About us

With almost 200 lawyers in one location, we ensure our clients have the right team to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. We advise major corporates and institutions as well as entrepreneurial, ambitious enterprises which are often privately or family owned, or private equity backed. As well as our significant business law capability, we are one of only a few London-based law firms with a large private wealth offering. Our clients find our straightforward approach a compelling alternative to larger, less personal firms.

Whether you are an ambitious and talented individual wanting to hit the ground running from day one, or an established professional looking for a new opportunity, Howard Kennedy is the firm where you can really make it happen.

We have earned a strong reputation for our exceptional and uniquely talented people who between them deliver outstanding results for clients. In a firm of our size, our strong team dynamic creates a thriving culture of creativity and entrepreneurialism. Howard Kennedy is a pragmatic and non-hierarchical environment where success is shared, and you are proactively encouraged to thrive at your own pace.

Our distinctive culture is built on fairness and respect. Guided by the firm’s values of talk straight, think smart and be yourself, everyone in the firm holds equal value, and everyone plays their role in supporting, encouraging and inspiring colleagues to do their best work.

At the same time, we recognise and reward individualism, celebrating the diversity of our people and supporting them to grow their practice and drive their own career advancement.

As well as client work, there is opportunity to broaden your horizons at the firm with fulfilling pro bono and charity projects. We have a regular social calendar full of wellbeing activities, charitable and social events too.